Memeorandum

February 16, 2019

Amazon's Now Abandoned Special Deal Not So Special

Amidst the rhetoric around the abandoned Amazon deal do let me note this - most of the incentives and tax breaks Amazon was offered are available to any qualifying company that moves to New York and/or creates jobs there. These were 80's era tax incentive programs intended to boost New York city and state. Do they make sense today? Probably not for the greatest city in the word, although upstate has needed help since the railroads eclipsed the Erie Canal.

New York promised Amazon $1.525 billion in incentives, including $1.2 billion over the next 10 years as part of the state’s Excelsior tax credit. The state also pledged to help Amazon with infrastructure upgrades, job-training programs and even assistance “securing access to a helipad” — none of which came with a price tag.

...

New York City did not offer any special tax breaks to Amazon as part of the deal. But the company will be able to take advantage of existing city tax credits, including a program designed to encourage companies to create jobs outside the busiest parts of Manhattan. The program, open to all companies, could be worth as much as $900 million to Amazon over 12 years, on top of the state incentives.

The "by-right" nature of these open-to-all programs has never been a mystery. Yet coverage includes some howlers. Megan McArdle linked to this blast from the past by Josh Barro, who really ought to know better:

Here’s Why New York Is Resorting to Paying Amazon $3 Billion for What Google Will Do for Free

I'll bet Google applied for the benefit under those programs but didn't encourage politicians to take a victory lap talking up tax breaks for Google. Discretion is the better part of tax avoidance.

You know, I think it’s really important that we understand that we need to invest in our economy, but we need to invest in our people, and to give away $3 billion to a company that has a history of worker exploitation that’s paying below what the cost of New York City is not acceptable for us. We need to have good jobs, and they need to come to the table as in — you know, any company that wants to come to New York needs to come to the table as an equal partner, and you look at how Google came to New York; it was not nearly as controversial as this, and I think it’s because of, they were willing to work with local communities.”

“What’s great is that our economy, our local economy, is already growing. So I firmly believe that if we want to take that $3 billion dollars that we were willing to give to Amazon and invest it in our local community, we can do that. We can make those jobs. We can make 25,000 jobs.”

If and when those 25,000 jobs are created in Long Island City I bet the employers will be filing for the available tax breaks. Quietly. That's just my wild guess. But don't tell AOC and she'll never know. Very clever of Google to keep it on the dl - its an expedient modus operandi, although people do get upset when they learn the truth.

BONUS BAFFLER: Here is a Times piece on the Amazon subsidies. The author may be aware that these are public programs but it is well concealed. Her sinister close:

[Nathan Jensen, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies incentive packages] suspects that some people will learn the opposite lesson — that New York should have just given Amazon what it wanted. A better takeaway, he said, is that huge subsidies aren’t necessary. And politicians should beware the consequences of negotiating them in private.

Don't negotiate in private or apply programs on the books for thirty years. Got it.

NOT SO HARD: The Sunday Times will include a piece on Amazon by Amy Liu. Explaining the subsidies is not impossible!:

But the role of public officials in this controversy deserves more scrutiny. Too often, they agree to economic development deals that fail to protect the interests of their constituents and negotiate through a process that is closed door and top down. State and local officials continue to hand out goodies even though evidence suggests that such subsidies have little effect on jobs.

In New York, the governor and mayor structured an agreement with Amazon using policy tools already established in the law. Amazon received “as-of-right” incentives, which are given automatically when a company wants to expand or relocate its facilities. New York’s as-of-right incentives, which are available to any company in a priority industry for the state that goes to a borough outside Manhattan, have been widely criticized as flawed and outdated. The amount of incentives offered ballooned to billions of dollars because of the proposed job count. Additionally, the city and state agreed that Amazon would not need to go through a local land-use review process, prompting the City Council to cry foul. Soon, a vocal minority of elected officials, labor leaders, and community activists revolted against the deal.

I'm sure Jane knows this but Sidney Powell is the anti Andy McCarthy in terms of skewering the DoJ and some of the judges that presided over at least two of their high profile cases, Ted Steven and Enron. Honestly most of them should be hanged. Read it only if you want to be enraged.

Not sure why Sawchuk would be so obviouse to "true hockey fans from the 70's through 90's", given that he only played 6 games in 1970, the year he died, and the year I started watching hockey. I only remember him from articles and photos afterwards.

Sen. Cory Booker in Portsmouth, New Hampshire: "[Trump's] trying to make Americans -- with the urgent priorities we have for clean water, for roads & bridges, for affordable college, for affordable prescription drugs -- he wants to waste our money for a wall that we don't need." pic.twitter.com/7NnCEDkmU1

The idea that whatever it is that Roger Stone is supposed to have done is somehow illegal or even improper in a supposedly free political system, in a country with a First Amendment making freedom of speech the paramount value, is absolutely absurd.

And the fact that he hasn't been charged with "collusion," but is having his life destroyed by being charged with allegedly lying about communications which are not illegal, is a travesty.

And MSNBC and CNN, companies which exist because of the First Amendment, ought to be screaming 24/7 about the travesty instead of cheerleading repression. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. If they had any capacity for shame, which they don't.

Miss M's 09:56---He was convicted of 11 federal offenses in October 2018 including wire fraud, mail fraud, making false statements, and witness tampering. The witness tampering conviction has since been overturned. He will report to prison on April 5.

The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them........

================
This looks like there is more to follow. I am monitoring and will post when it shows up.

....The U.S. does not want to watch as these ISIS fighters permeate Europe, which is where they are expected to go. We do so much, and spend so much - Time for others to step up and do the job that they are so capable of doing. We are pulling back after 100% Caliphate victory!

"According to the official media wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces, their troops uncovered this large weapons cache while combing through the recently captured town of Baghouz in the eastern countryside of the Deir Ezzor Governorate."

ISIS is down to about 700 square meters of territory. The attack has slowed due to more than an expected number of civilians being used as human shields. Many ISIS are surrendering or trying to sneak out.

Leon Hadar
11 hrs ·
Forget the appropriateness of this historical analogy, but there were no “ghettos in Warsaw and Vienna” when Kristallnacht happened in...Germany and not in Austria and Poland🙄🙄🙄 Idiot!
“Mr. Weld explained his decision to run that year as a function of his horror over Mr. Trump’s candidacy, comparing Mr. Trump’s rhetoric about immigration to “the glass crunching on Kristallnacht in the ghettos of Warsaw and Vienna.”

Oh good grief, he swallowed the silver spoon, now if course I gave you the backstory of where weld falls into the cabal, add to that his family made their fortune selling opium to China which we was recycled into banking.

Leon is a very antiwar libertarian I remember from the gulf war debates where he might have had a point.

I believe the Jussie-poo Small-it story, is emblematic of A LOT of THINGS in America today.

First and foremost. The moment I heard the story, I knew it was a FALSE FLAG and complete BULLSHITSKI.
Lets review.

Jussie takes a wee walk at 20 below zero.
Jussie gets his bad self a SUBWAY SAMMICH and heads home.
2 WHITE PERPS screaming racist and anti-butt stabber epithets, say this is MAGA COUNTRY, as they toss some "chemical" substance on Lil Jussie and his SAMMICH......AT 20 BELOW ZERO.
Jussie is assaulted and tells POLICE that 2 WHITE MEN had beaten him and placed a ROPE around his neck.
Jussie continues to MONGE on the SAMMICH, with ROPE still dangling from his neck as he goes home.
Jussie calls police and 40 minutes later is still in FULL ROPE REGALIA, or is that RE-GAY-LIA??
Jussie refuses to give CPD his phone nor his phone records.
No injuries.

Now here is the fun part. ALL OF THE HUNDREDS of CAMERAS in JUSSIE'S area of CHICAGO, do not show an attack.
The cameras do show JUSSIE and his delicious SUBWAY SAMMICH GOING HOME.
Dumb criminal spoiler alert.
Same said cameras DO FOLLOW "PEEPS of INTEREST" to their LAIR!!!!! It works both ways JUSSIE!!!

RACE BAITING FULL COMMIE LIBTARDS, will NEVER be HONEST about what happened. NEVER. The MAIN FUCKING STREAM MEDIA, still has not come to grips with the TRUTH. WHY?? The are FULL COMMIES and VIRTUE SIGNALING ASS HOLES.

We've been in Afghanistan 17 years now, and we went there because that's where bin laden directed the attacks, but the leadership core was there because Clinton dropped the ball in ths Sudan five years earlier, the problem as aw see from the likes of miss begum seems to stem from Europe and move outwards

{{Mr. Weld explained his decision to run that year as a function of his horror over Mr. Trump’s candidacy, comparing Mr. Trump’s rhetoric ....}}

The FULL COMMIE never has to explain or quote the "HORROR" of POTUS DJT's stances on ILLLLLLEGAL IMMIGRATION nor the costs and damage caused by this ILLLLLLLEGAL IMMIGRATION. The MAIN STREAM LIBTARD FULL COMMIE MEDIA, just accepts this "horror" as fact, and piles on. IT IS NOT FACT, in fact it has not even been defined.

Donald Trump's own MOTHER was an immigrant. As for KRISTOLNACHT......which political ideology is anti-JEW/anti-Israel? The LEFT or the RIGHT???
Which SYNAGOGUE or CHURCH has been burned, battered or attacked by anyone associated with POTUS DJT???? Donald Trumps daughter, son-in-law and his PRECIOUS, non-aborted Grandchildren are faithful and practicing Jews. WELD hears the Crunching of glass and Kristalnacht, in the GHETTOS of WARSAW and VIENNA, and it reminds him of the HORROR of POTUS DJT'S immigration policies. Kristalnacht occurred in NAZI GERMANY, in major cities with JEWISH businesses and JEWISH Populations that HITLER was stoking anger against. LEGAL GERMAN CITIZENS who were merely trying to run their own businesses.

Jim nj. As is the case in nearly every political story in the news......THE FULL COMMIE MEDIA, cannot and WILL NOT recognize what is happening NOW, and WHY.
To be straight forward and blunt, OBAMA is and was a COMPLETE FUCK UP.

When faced with a tough decision, fight or flight.
Obama exclaimed BOXERS. The LEFT and SYCOPHANTIC MFM danced joyously at THE NUANCE.

Paul Garcia, 39, of Barnhart has been arrested on a charge of felony animal abuse. He is accused of binding the dachshund with electrical and duct tape, driving him to Imperial and throwing him out of the window into a ditch. The dog is believed to have laid in the freezing cold for twelve hours before he was found.

Gee what a psycho. Now thata deom the crazy alternative paper in st. Louis.

Re Haiti I went to school with the fmr prime minister, who got himself involved in some of the kerfluffle with the Clinton's but he was dismissed when he looked too deeply in the first family's arrangements

So MFM cannot FATHOM what the story has morphed into. 2 MEN, not charged. Jussie Smell-it has been exonerated!!!!!!!! Yes, that is true, if you are a FUCKING MORON. Cops followed the 2 "AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS" back to THEIR HOME. Cameras galore.
The rest was easy. Receipts, connections, social media, interrogations. Unfortunately the ENTIRE MFM was reporting from their FULL COMMIE perspective, as they always do. JUSSIE BLACK..........JUSSIE HOMOSEXUAL.....JUSSIE VICTIM.

So what will these clowns say tomorrow on the SUSAN RICE SHOWS???? Will they shit on these fine fine fine AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS??

I think the problem with the ISIS detainees in SDF hands is that the SDF and allies are not a recognized nation. If Syria recognized them as a regional government that might be enough of a fig leaf to cover judicial action.

There is probably a legitimate legal argument that the detainees are being illegally held at the moment.

Not that I think any rational nation would press that argument.

Just taking a guess, but I bet Syria and Iraq would have no problem taking back their nationals.

Europe doesn't seem to be to willing to do that. I think they would like to have the Syrians deal with them. Less messy.

Dave, if you've followed the JUSSIE the BLACK HOMOSEXUAL story, you'll be aware, that the 2 Nigerian dudes are supposedly citizens, and both have had run ins with the law, as well as financial problems and DEBTS. One of the brothers (or BRO'S) has a serious felony record.
The 2 Nigerian Brothers did not get involved in this CAPER without some serious form of compensation or another. I am REVOLTED by HOLLYWOOD or more accurately POP CULTURE today. This JUSSIE the BEEEEEEEEG STAR of a RACE BASED TEEEEEEEEEEVEEEEEEEE show disgusts me.

Jussie Smollett paid two brothers to stage an attack against him, directed them to buy items used in the alleged assault and actually rehearsed it with them, sources say.

Sources say at least one of the brothers bought the rope used in the incident at Smollett’s request. The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25.

Who is paying for the lawyer? The TL;DW of the Cochise County Kerfuffle is that a bunch of guilty people didn't get prosecuted because providing public defenders for 300 people would have bankrupted the county.

Jussie Smoelay, paid for his own NOOSE??
No way.
And this happened in MAGA COUNTRY???
Trump and BEAVER. Heck DJT told us that he could just GRAB ANY BEAVER he wanted. Or so I am told, by a guy named.......BUSH.

As some of you know, beloved JOM poster daddy called me out for not going to enough New York City area meet-ups, and he made known his availability in Manhattan March 3rd through 6th. Well, it so happens that March 4th-6th are work days for me, but Sunday the 3rd is wide open. We don't have an itinerary worked out yet, although there have been some suggestions. I thought the choices should be thrown out to the JOM community by setting up a poll, and seeing what plan wins. Here are the choices, based on early suggestions: Meeting up in the NoHo area, going to McSorley's Ale House and visiting the Strand bookstore. Advantages/disadvantages, McSorley's does sell pretty mediocre beer, the dust is from the Paleolithic era, if I go to the Strand I am likely to bring home more books. Easy to get to however from the Port Authority (where jim in nj will likely disembark) or Grand Central (where if our esteemed blog host, Mr. Maguire decides to grace us, will take a train to.) Second is the Cloisters and a local pub in the Fort Tryon Park area. Advantages, lovely park with spectacular view of the Hudson, lovely but small museum, dis--hard to get to for people from NJ, CT, and possibly even jimmyk(it's the very northern tip of Manhattan.) Third choice is Fraunces Tavern at the Battery, should be OK subway ride for all, can hoist a few, then sober up on the Staten Island ferry, or in the American Indian museum disadvantages Fraunces Tavern may not be open on Sundays until 3 PM (not sure about this.) Fourth would be midtown, disadvantages, touristy prices for whatever sites there are, advantage, close to GCT and PA terminals.
Vote early and vote often! even on the ensuing threads.

To finish off my RANT, vis a vis the MAIN STREAM MEDIA and it's rotting corpse.......

Watch this SHORT CBS piece. I could and did dissect it in real time. This is NOT Journalism. This is pretense and bias. It is the willing suspension of reason and critical thinking skills.
OR
These talking heads are fucking reeeetards.

Jim nj, you are certainly correct. The COOK COUNTY prosecutor and the Chicago Police, played Jusssssie Schmoelette like a fiddle. The MFM in TOTAL, was and IS, far too biased and ideologically liberal, to recognize ANYTHING other than what they seek/sought to believe. The CONVENTIONAL LIBTARD FULL COMMIE WISDOM, from the GET GO, was to BELIEVE SCHMOELETTE, simply because their IDEOLOGY is a VIRTUE SIGNALING MESS. When the CPD made it clear, that there were HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of local cameras, and hundreds of hours of video, THE MFM didn't consider that the 2 PEEPS of interest would be followed straight home. The POLICE followed the clues, video and facts.

The good thing is with the feds involved we'll, get to see CNN filming the armed battalion that arrests Jussie just like they did Roger Stone.
Can't wait. Got my popcorn all popped and now just waiting.

Jim nj, every story written by the MEDIA CORPSE, is written from a FULL COMMIE LIB ideology.
THE BULLET TRAIN is better than X, because the PLANET IS DYING next TUESDAY, and GREENHOUSE etc etc etc etc. We must spend money we don't have, because of CORRUPT SCIENCE and PROFS, who are all paid to bloviate nonsense. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!
Cows fart, beef is bad, all oF the FACTORY FARMS, that inject poison, into the farting cows, are CAPITALIST MURDERING PIGS (pig pun intended).

Ig and Dave!! We need to have a JUSSSSSSSSIE fantasy draft on WHO will be the DEFENSE ATTORNEY flack of record TOMORROW.
And, will NEIL KAEPERNICK weigh in on the INJUSTICE to JUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIE O'COLOR, before noon Eastern??
This is delicious. 2 young AFRICAN-IMMIGRANT-AMERICANS, whom POTUS DJT, did not have CLUBBED like BABY SEALS, vs GAY and BLACK JUSSSSSSSIE!!!

I'm betting his story never "smelled" right to experienced investigators, but they and the CPD were put in a difficult position.

They couldn't ignore the story for the "racist" chants that would have followed.

The CPD entered into a "consent decree" with the DOJ some time ago.

Add the two together and they could't "suggest" a hoax, they had to "prove" a hoax.

If that is the case the CPD and feds should go after him full force and make him pay for the investigation. And if proven to be the case, I can well imagine a bunch of Black people who care abut Chicago t5o go after him for wasting resources that could have been used to solve other crimes against Blacks.

Jim Nj, My DETECTIVE Brother in Denver is a GREAT HUMAN BEING. He is a COP, and he has experienced some awful shit in his career. He was SWAT at Columbine.
He is not nearly as cynical as I am. Yesterday, he laid out the entire JUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIE SMOLAY CON for me. BINGO. I was right all along, and my Lil Bro explained it, as he knew, and as he is a DETECTIVE. I do NOT trust the FBI as far as I can FART. Our COUNTRY has been betrayed. THE RANK and FILE has stood silent. SHITCAGO is a cesspool of corruption. Rahm Emanuel??? PLEASE.
Having said all of that. CPD, has done a FANTASTIC and PROFESSIONAL JOB. The MAIN STREAM FULL COMMIE MEDIA, up to this MINUTE, cannot grasp the CON. It's been fun watching them SPIN in CIRCLES, trying to analyze every and any thing, as exculpatory for MEESTER BLACK and GAY.

Obama changed the rules on student loans and the whole cohort that graduated during his term in office was stuck with the low hiring rates upon graduation.

Here's a thought - if you're a professional protestor collecting money from a low-wage SJW group and you have student debt we put you on probation until you get a real job and start paying off your debt.

Jim nj, I attended an ECONOMIC SUMMIT in APPLETON WI, this past Thursday. The KEY NOTE SPEAKER is a double PHD, he is entertaining, and I've seen him before. Elliot Eisenberg is his name, and he is brillllliant. He uses ECON DATA, charts and graphs.
STUDENT DEBT has EXPLODED since OBAMA. Not by accident. We hear all the lightweight BARTENDERS and BERNIE SANDERS STYLE grifters, tell us COLLEGE SHOULD BE...........FREE.
The availability of MONEY, Student loans, and ALL CONTROLLED/ADMINSTERED by IRRESPONSIBLE hair brains and BARTENDERS, has the OBVIOUS EFFECTS and RESULTS, that ANY FRESHMAN ECON student would understand. MORE MONEY AVAILABLE, creates MORE PROF TENURE, SALARIES, and COSTS. If college was to be FREE.......that is what it's VALUE WOULD BE. In any ECONOMIC equation, one simple portion of the equation is.......WHO PAYS.
My son turned 18 today, or yesterday FEB 16. He has an ENGINEERING and APPLIED SCIENCE ...full ride at U-W-MILWAUKEE. Thank GOD.

Here's my schedule more precise, but I am open for anything anybody wants to do..

On Sunday the 3rd I get to the hotel about 9 AM. I'll need to sleep a few hours since I'll have been up all night, but I am open for anything starting about 3 PM. I am there for @50 hours total and don't get back into the taxi to go to work until Tuesday, 5 March, about noon.

So 3rd and 4th, Sunday afternoon and evening and all Monday, are what work best for me, and I'll give a call to the Kimberly in advance and see if they can give me a room with 2 beds regardless what happens. With your schedule it looks like Sunday the 3rd works best and that's fine by me---Fraunces is cool, but Peter and JimmyK and anyone else just list one of your favorites and I'm game. You guys know the city way better than I do, and Keeley's is always easy.

I can do that. Come in late Sunday afternoon and sleep over, maybe walk around a bit, and hook up with anyone else for a Sunday night meet up. I'll look for interesting stuff in your neighborhood, if any.

Monday, I can give you a tour of lower Manhattan, if you like, and if the weather cooperates.

Monday night we can do another meet-up and I'll bail or sleep over again. And bail in the morning.

I'll give you my idea of a lower Manhattan itinerary, maybe tomorrow, but it would include the Strand and keep us near Fraunces Tavern, if so desired.

Lower Manhattan has lots of stuff in walking distance if your legs are good.

This is UNBELIEVABLE SHIT. Andy, Insurance Policy McCabe, whose wife recieved $750,000.00 from Bill Clinton's former Chief of Staff, and Rodham campaign chief.....Virginia Governor Terry McCauliffe. To run for VA State Senate. WHAT THE FUCK??? McCabe was being courted, to stay LOYAL to RODHAM.
{{{“I was speaking to the man who had just run for the presidency and won the election for the presidency and who might have done so with the aid of the government of Russia, our most formidable adversary on the world stage. And that was something that troubled me greatly,” McCabe said in one excerpt, referring to a phone call he had with Trump on May 10, 2017.}}}

What a pile of horseshit. McCabe had signed off to FISA on the RODHAM paid for DOSSIER, by this time.
And today, we KNOW, that TRUMP had NOTHING to do with any RUSSIAN SHIT.